Nas’ latest untitled album has stirred up plenty of its own trouble. 

Nas originally called the album N—-r, but left it untitled after 

criticism around the title. Rev. Jesse Jackson and the NAACP both 

criticized Nas for the album title, while some artists, including 

Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Common, supported it. Nas said he eventually 

changed the title because he didn’t want the negativity to overwhelm 

his album’s content.

"I don’t like to feel that somebody is trying to pick out one thing 

about me and make it negative,” Nas said. "Unfortunately, you have a 

lot of people who are threatened by people like me, whether they rap or 

not. I don’t give them any power by saying I’m just selling the n—-r 

word.”

"If the title isn’t there, the album cover becomes even more 

powerful,” Nas said, referring to the untitled album’s cover. The cover 

shows Nas shirtless with flagellation scars in the shape of an "N” on 

his back.

The counter-culture music Nas makes goes along with his life story. 

He grew up in the Queensbridge housing projects in Queens, N.Y. After 

dropping out of middle school, Nas educated himself, studying ancient 

religious texts and early hip-hop music. The irony of college students 

paying to see a middle-school dropout is not lost on Nas.

"You wonder what your teachers would say now,” Nas said. "You wonder 

what people — ‘cause they saw me on the corner — I wonder what they 

think now.”

Even so, Nas said he still appreciates the value of education and hopes to complete his own some day.

"In education, there’s a lot that’s wrong with the way the system works, but at the same time, it’s very important,” Nas said.

"This is a whole new world for me,” he said when asked what he would 

study. "Literature is one [major]. And of course, history. I like to 

think of myself as a historian.”

Nas’ interests show through in his music as well. His songs deal 

with issues in hip hop music, race relations and other controversial 

topics.

"The stuff that I listen to the most is not the most radio played,” 

Nas said. "Radio is important too, but you can’t let everything be 

about the radio. I like to make music where I’m not always working for 

the charts.”

"I still do have fun, even though it comes out serious,” he added. 

"The records that I tend to keep on the album are the ones that are not 

much about fun.”

Even though his music deals with heavy topics, Nas said the music doesn’t have to be contemplative.

"You can be flying down the highway doing 90 [mph], listening to something like ‘Testify.’ It’s all about how you are feeling.”